episode_0167

“Are you willingly going to be captured? Rest in peace, Eugene.”

Sitting in front of the dungeon with a sword in her arms, Transylvia sneered.

The dungeon where the Four Kings, Velphegor, had taken residence.

In the midst of conquering this perilous dungeon, there was only one person in the world who could call forth Yerina.

Yerina may not have noticed yet, but she would soon meet Eugene.

“You do not know the hatred that Yerina harbors… You cannot even begin to guess.”

It was clear how Eugene would end up.

Transylvia understood this because she needed to listen to what Yerina had to say about him by her side.

As much as Yerina loved Eugene, she also resented him.

The more Yerina learned about Eugene, the more she denied it.

But that did not last long.

Delusions could not last forever.

Yerina accepted the truth.

The turning point was the Petenbourg meeting.

What kind of meeting it was, no one could know.

After the meeting with the witch and the saint, Yerina was filled with venom.

She would gossip about Eugene behind his back.

She would list the women suspected of being involved with him (according to Yerina, she was 100% sure) and chew them out one by one.

Sometimes, she would get drunk and cling to Transylvia, sobbing and falling asleep.

That was how Yerina accepted the truth.

And in the midst of all this, she met Eugene…

Now, the direction in which that hatred would pour out was all too obvious.

It no longer mattered who was at fault first.

The reason why Eugene was avoiding Yerina was not important.

What was important was that Yerina had enough power to subdue Eugene and drag him all the way to Pallana.

“Eugene. You are now screwed… Huh?”

But then two more carriages arrived.

When two unfamiliar faces appeared, Transylvia’s eyes widened in surprise.

Three women.

They must have come here for the same reason as Yerina.

Transylvia felt her mind going blank.

|Transylvia… Come this way… If you come back, we will-|

“You little brat! Shut your mouth! It was just getting interesting!”

|…|

“Shut up, you bastard…”

She gritted her teeth at the voice of the demon inside the dungeon.

Transylvia once again entered spectator mode.

…

…

“I want all three of you.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

After my declaration.

There was a long silence.

During that long time, the expressions of the three changed in various ways.

Yulia seemed to have somewhat expected it, with a complex expression.

Jill stared blankly at the dagger in her hand.

And Yerina glared fiercely at me, tears welling up in her eyes.

It did not look like a scene where a love confession had just taken place.

In that grim scene.

Yerina broke the silence.

“Let’s talk alone for a moment.”

“M-me too.”

“I have… a lot to say…”

I knew it would come to this.

Surely, each of us had a lot on our minds.

I did too.

It was definitely necessary to have a chance to talk one-on-one.

“Let’s have a quick discussion…”

The three of them seemed to be muttering to each other, and after about 10 minutes, they decided on the order in which to speak.

The order was important to them in their own way.

Yerina went first, Yulia second, and Jill last.

I had no idea how they decided on this.

In any case, Yerina cautiously crossed the line and approached me.

As she neared me, I remembered something I had forgotten.

“I forgot to mention something. There is one more person who promised me a future.”

“…”

A chill seemed to fill the room.

I had many thoughts.

Although the time given was brief.

There was still plenty of time left to organize my thoughts.

From the beginning, my mind was already set in stone.

So all that’s left is to drive the wedge in.

As the words left my mouth, a sense of urgency and relief washed over me, knowing that there was no turning back now.

No need to worry anymore.

No need to hesitate anymore.

Now, I can finally face Jill, Yuri, and Yerina and have a conversation without feeling suffocated.

“Should I start with an apology?”

Yerina must have been quite surprised by my declaration just now.

Honesty isn’t always the best policy.

Of course, it’s better than running away with a string of lies, but… maybe starting with an apology is the right thing to do.

After all, I bear some responsibility for what has happened.

We may not have intended to destroy our relationship, but we certainly contributed to it.

But still, I can’t forget Yerina.

I love Yerina.

Among the myriad of emotions I feel towards her, the most prominent one is undoubtedly love.

That’s something I can’t hide.

“······!”

Thud.

The door opened and quickly closed.

Turning around, I saw Yerina standing still, gripping the doorknob behind her.

A cold magic gathered at her fingertips.

A barrier enveloped the room.

Despite the faint voice of a vampire outside the window yelling, “Why aren’t you showing it!” I ignored it.

Yerina, glaring at me as she extended the barrier, began to approach me swiftly as soon as the deployment was complete.

Raising her right hand and…!

“Darn it.”

I had a feeling.

If that hand hit me, I would die.

My life flashed before my eyes as Yerina’s hand flew towards my face.

“Wait, Yerina. I’ll die if you slap me.”

“······.”

“Can’t you just see it as a joke? Hey, hey! Wait…?!”

Yerina’s hand moved at an incomprehensible speed.

Preparing for the worst, I closed my eyes tightly.

Instead of hitting my cheek, Yerina’s hand wrapped around my cheeks tightly.

And then, I felt a soft touch as her lips pressed against mine.

“Mmm, mmm…”

Yerina kissed me, tears streaming down her face.

It was different from the light and shy kiss at the engagement ceremony.

Yerina couldn’t hold back her emotions any longer and was now exploring me with unrestrained passion.

There was no need to stop it, no need to resist.

Having already confessed to all three of them, there was no way to achieve a 100% ending… so I just had to accept Yerina’s passionate emotions and desires.

“Mmm…”

When I came to my senses, I found myself lying on the bed with Yerina on top of me, tears streaming down her face as she pulled away from my lips.

She then buried her face in my chest, sobbing.

“I missed you…”

“······.”

Yerina cried like a child.

Perhaps she had wanted to say those words from the moment she saw my face.

She must have held back in front of others as the Ice Lord, but now that we were alone, she couldn’t contain herself.

At this moment, I realized that the one sitting on top of me was not the Ice Lord, but just a woman named Yerina.

“Snniff… sniff… Haa… Haa… Haa… It’s really Eugene. You smell like Eugene…”

“Yeah. It’s really me.”

“Shut up. Sniff… Haa… Haa… Haa… Really…”

“······.”

She covered my mouth.

Yerina pressed her nose against my chest, neck, and head, breathing heavily without a moment’s rest.

As the predator, who was about to devour me, sniffed for a while like a predator, Yerina wiped her tears and looked down at me.

It seems that she has finally calmed down.

“You can trust me… There is no other woman…”

“…”

Yerina brings up the story from the previous chapter.

I lost my words in response to her.

Back then, I was the one who deceived Yerina.

Yerina, who hurt me and blamed me, only exists in my memory.

But I, who deceived and left Yerina, remain in both of our memories.

It’s a bit unfair, but I am the one who did the most wrong here.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize…!”

“…”

“If you apologize… you’ll regret the time we spent together… I don’t want that… Please don’t…”

“…”

“Eujin won’t know. How happy I was with you. Do you think I cling to you just because my memories of regression have returned? It’s the opposite. I remember because I love you so much that I can’t forget. Remember, Eujin? The day we first met…”

I remember.

I remember clearly.

Even if everything else fades and is forgotten.

The moments I spent with them, I could never forget.

No matter how much I tried to forget.

No matter how much hatred I harbored towards them.

The ones who had already disappeared beyond the timeline, still remained in my heart.

And miraculously.

Three of them could be saved.

The first round’s Jill, the sixth round’s Yulia, and the twelfth round’s Yerina.

The ones who seemed to exist only in my head, now appeared in front of me again.

Surely, when I first learned of this fact, there must have been a mix of complex emotions, including joy.

And that weight was certainly not light.

“Do you remember? When you came to Pallana and immediately started arguing with me. You said you wanted to marry me, that you would knock me down.”

“Did I say something so extreme?”

“Yeah. Everyone was so surprised. I was surprised too… I never thought there would be such a reckless person among the humans.”

“There are plenty of lunatics among humans.”

“I’m not saying that. There are plenty of people who rush into things without thinking about the consequences. But there aren’t many people who throw themselves into an uncertain future, considering both the past and the future. Maybe that’s what attracted me to you… Eujin, you never give up in any situation, always looking for the best solution. You make mistakes, but you never regret. Sometimes you look back, but you never hesitate to move forward. These qualities are essential for a king. Even if your choices are regrettable and your confidence wavers, you can never show weakness in front of the people you are responsible for… That’s why I admire you, and why I fell for you…”

“…”

This is a story I’ve never heard before.

I’ve met many Yerinas, but this is the first time I’ve heard such inner thoughts from Yerina.

The Yerina who returned through regression and reunited with me is the only Yerina in front of me right now.

As if covering up all of her selves, Yerina wraps her hands around my face and once again steals my lips.

“If you promise to only look at me from now on, I’ll look at you. Eujin. Can you do that? Hmm?”

“Yerina.”

“Hmm…”

“The me you think of and the actual me are slightly different. You call me reckless, but in reality, I am cautious and fearful.”

“Really?”

“I have to be. The things I did, I did because I was forced to. I actually envied your aggressiveness. I wanted to become a beast like you.”

It’s a natural saying, but those who invest money make a profit.

And not many people are willing to risk their money in an uncertain future.

Only beasts, only wolves, throw themselves into an uncertain future and achieve success.

However, I was just a sheep pretending to be a wolf.

Through regression, I was making the uncertain future certain.

“I was scared, and there were many times when I hesitated about regression.”

There were many times when I should have turned back time.

Even though I knew that if I waited any longer, it would lead to a crisis.

Even though I knew I would have to endure hatred, anger, and twisted affection directed towards me.

Even though I knew that if I endured it all, it would take a toll on my mental state and make future regressions even more difficult.

“I, who was always afraid, wanted this timeline to be the last. I didn’t want to erase the memories with you.”

I was afraid of letting go.

I was afraid of being left alone.

Through repeated regressions, even the fear that wasn’t there before began to emerge.

“But now, a miracle has happened. You all from the timeline that disappeared have returned. And now, I no longer want to let any of you go. I can’t force understanding. It’s just my selfishness. But if I were to be a bit more selfish… I love you, Yerina. This feeling cannot be changed no matter how much time passes.”

“T-this… you bastard…”

Nestling her face in my arms once again, Yerina trembles.

After a moment, she sniffs back her tears and looks into my eyes.

“How can I refuse when I hear those words… I know clearly that I can’t live without you… Damn it, I love you too… I love you, you bastard…”

Saying so, Yerina’s soft lips continued their assault.

As we reached the 13th round, giving up on our strategies and running away, only to reunite and ignite hatred towards each other, in the end.

It was only then that I could align my heart with Yerina’s.

Perhaps, this was what they called a twisted love.